A look at the Steelers' success and failure at the position since 2005:
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No quarterback in Steelers history has played as well statistically as Ben Roethlisberger over the past decade. He has set virtually every Steelers passing record and broken many of his own. He also led them to three Super Bowls, the only quarterback besides Terry Bradshaw to play in more than one for the Steelers and the only one besides Bradshaw to win two. He became the fourth QB in NFL history to win 100 games in his first 150 starts.
DRAFT
Landry Jones, picked in the fourth round in 2013, was their highest draft pick at quarterback since they took Roethlisberger in the first round in 2004. They drafted Dennis Dixon in the fifth round in 2008 and Omar Jacobs in the fifth round in 2006. Dixon was on and off the team through 2011 and then played elsewhere. Jacobs never made their roster.
FREE AGENTS
Backup Bruce Gradkowski, a Pittsburgh native, signed a three-year contract as an undrafted free agent in 2013. Previous backups Charlie Batch, another Pittsburgh native, and Byron Leftwich signed as veteran free agents and were last with the team in 2012. Another free agent, Tommy Maddox, last played in 2005 and will go down in Steelers lore as the quarterback Roethlisberger replaced as starter after Maddox was injured in the second game of the 2004 season.
First Published: January 18, 2015, 5:29 a.m.